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THE MURPH\ 



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SYSTEM OF 

CAR AND CARRIAGE 
PAINTING. 



THE MURPHY 



A, B, C SYSTEM 



OF 



CAR AND CAMIAGE PAIKTIIG 



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Respectfully offered to the Car and Carriage Builders, 
AND to the Car and Carriage Painters of America, and to all 
others interested in the perfecting and simplifying of mechan- 
ical processes, and in the development of time-saving. LABOr.- 

SAVING AND OTHER ECONOMIZING METHODS. 



MURPHY & CO., 

VARNISH MAKERS 
NEWARK, N. J. 










Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1S7T, by 

MURPHY & COMPANY, 
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 






PRINTED BY 

WARD & TICHENOR, 

NEWARK, N. J. 



INTRODUCTORY. 



"IT IE are by no means ■unmindful of the fact that, 
• ^ in offering to the trade a new system of sur- 
facing, we are, so to speak, patting our shoulder to a 
decidedly huge wheel ; nor do we overlook the fur- 
ther facts, viz : that a good many felloes (fellows) have 
ah^eady spoke (n) on the subject, and that many good 
felloes (fellows) are somewhat tired of listening to any- 
thing "rim out^^ on this theme. Yet, so positively 
are we impressed with the idea that only the rim of the 
subject — only the priming coat, as it were — has yet 
been reached by those who have preceded us in put- 
ting their shoulder to the wheel, and so full is our 
faith that there are still a few who believe improve- 
ment on the present system of car and carriage 
painting not impossible : also that these heroic few 
will never tire of seconding any well directed, 
earnest ende-avor to discover and establish the bet- 
ter way, we are encouraged to give expression to 
our views. As a warning, however, to such as may 
not suspect the length we design to take them, 
should thev set out with us on a solution of the 



Carriage Painting problem, we will s^y that we 
have no intention of tireing at the rim of our wheel^ 
nor of falling back on to the old system after get- 
ting past the priming coat, as some have done be- 
fore us. 

CARRIAGE PAINTERS. 

Who among carriage mechanics — pending the 
present system of carriage painting — is more enti- 
tled to considerate judgment, yet receives less of it, 
than the carriage painter? Who has half as much 
to contend against? Who, with his work beset by 
an equal number and varietj^ of hidden possibilities 
of disaster, acquits himself with an}^ greater credit ? 
A poor joint in the wood work, or a rough job in the 
iron work, escapes notice except from an expert; 
but the slightest brush mark in the painting is dis- 
covered by the most careless of eyes. The job is 
given to the painter to finish^ or in other words to 
'perfect. Let it be never so full of flaws, he is ex- 
pected to cover and conceal them, every one. He 
must take care of the looks of the work, rriake every- 
thing right, must leave it right, and must have it hold 
out right. And strange to say he oftentimes accom- 
plishes this, too, notwithstanding the fact that in 
selecting the materials for his work, his lead, his oil, 



his Japan, liis colors, and much too often too, his var- 
nishes, he runs theguantlet of multifarious, and un- 
detectable adulterations, au}^ one of which may 
wholly spoil his work ; and then — though he success- 
fully pass all these and be possessed of faultless 
materials, he must ^'Ct contend with the possibly 
destructive influences of heat and cold, and dust^ 
and moisture. Most truly is a successful painter 
entitled to boast of superior mechanical skill. 



S Review of tlie f^i'e^^erit Sy^leii). 



WHAT ABE THE DEFECTS OF THE OLD TIME AXD PRESENT 

SYSTEMS OF CAR AXD CARRIAGE SURFACING, 

AND WHEREIN IS THERE NEED OF, AND 

OPPORTUNITY FOR REFORM? 



DOES ANY WELL DEFINED SYSTEM PREVAIL? 



DO NOT PAINTERS DISAGREE AS MUCH AS DOCTORS, AND 
FULLY EQUAL THEM IN A DISPOSITION TO EXPERIMENT:? 



A brief review of the faults and failures of a 
present process is of course necessary to, and insepa- 
rable from a judicious consideration of any proposed 
reform. To fully comprehend what ought to he, we 
should carefully understand what is. 

It is not our purpose to arraign the old time process 
as meriting quick contempt, nor would we impute 
entire unusefulness to certain newer methods at 
present more or less employed. The former has 
serv^ed us long and well. It was suited to its '^ day 
and generation ; ** and years ago when lead (ground 
lead) was lead, when oil was oil, and both could be 
relied upon ; when customers were in no hurry and 



8 

Japans were never meddled with ; when all new work 
was ordered work, and coukl be waited for a year ; 
in those good, honest, ''slow and easy" times, the 
old lead method was doubtless good enough. But 
times have changed. Carriages are not now ordered 
months ahead, but are called for ready made.^ or be- 
ing selected in the wood unfinished, are wanted 
painted quickly, almost instantly. 

The old lead method cannot he safely hurried^ and 
to force its drying by use of quick Japans, incurs- 
all sorts of trouble. Plainly, then, our era demands 
a change in method. The old one is out of date, 
and is not adapted to our time ; we have utterly out- 
grown it and ought speedily to cast it off. 

ENDEAVOKS TOW^ARD IMPROVEMENT. 

Attempts have been made at reform, and efforts 
to originate a carriage-painting system, with a basis 
other than ground lead, have been valiantly put 
forth and heroically persisted in ; the authors of 
same meriting the while the kindliest considerations 
of the craft thej^ sought so zealously to serve. Up 
to the opening of the present 3'ear, however, only 
partial success in this endeavor had been attained. 
We have no disposition to speak disparagingly of 
these pioneer efforts in the good work, nor would 
we in the slightest degree underrate the positive ad- 
vantages conferred by the measure of progress which 
was developed by those efforts. But the fact must 



remain that a compromise only was effected, and 
that beyond the priming coat, the newer method left 
the old system unmolested. 

FURTHER PROGRESS. 

Continued experiments and later discoveries, how- 
ever, have recently resulted in the production of a 
Carriage Surfacing Composition far superior to any- 
thing heretofore employed. 

It is a liquid material, easily applied, and may be 
described as a quick drying, water proof, and 
weather proof, elastic bodied, glutinuous cement. 

Its adaptation to car and carriage surfacing is 
complete and perfect, for it not only primes the wood^ 
but also, by an arrangement of four separately 
graded coatings, each coating a distinct composition 
suited to its own special place and purpose in the 
process ; it successively loads, levels, and seals the 
exterior portion of the wood into a surface hard, 
solid, tough and unchanging. A pitchy primer 
necessitates thin coats, skillfully laid on, and to be 
followed up by laborious brushing in (a tattooing 
process, in fact,) and after all is a primer only, and 
requires to be filled-in upon with lead and rough- 
stuff' precisely as in the old process. Our improve- 
ment consists of a system of surfacers, four in num- 
ber, A' iz : a priming surfacer, a loading surfacer, a 
leveling surfacer, and a sealing surfacer, and these 
four, used sucessivel3^ begin and complete a surface. 



10 

OBJECTIOXS TO THE LEAD AND OIL SYSTEM. 

The objections to be found against the old lead 
and oil system — if indeed it can be called a sj^stem, 
seeing that scai-cely two painters in ten follow pre- 
cisely the same rules, have already been ably, intelli- 
gently, and exhaustively discussed, as \^ell at paint- 
ers' conventions as in books and printed essays. 

No practical carriage painter, however, has need 
to consult a book for these objections : he encounters 
them hour by hour. 

LEAD AS A PRIMER. 
Lead does not and ca.nnot amalgamate with wood. 

With ever}' experienced and observant carriage 
painter of to-day, the fact that corroded lead cannot 
be absorbed by wood to the extent of becoming in- 
separably incorporated into it, or even to be perma- 
nentty cemented into its grain, or upon its surface, 
b)y means of Linseed Oil alone^ goes without saying. 

We will mix together, if you please, the custom- 
ary proportions of lead and oil used in making a 
priming coat. Have we permanently united them? 
Apparently not, for on our allowing the mixture to 
rest the one settles apart from the other. Evidently 
the oil was not able, strictly speaking, to dissolve 
the lead, (as sugar is dissolved and hept dissolved by 
water,) but its minute particles were simply dis- 
tributed, and suspended in the oil by our mixing, 



11 

and which, the mixture being now allowed to rest^ 
are settling back again. 

We will stir the two together again and apply the 
mixture to a carriage body as a priming. Will 
both ingredients be equally absorbed, the lead drank 
up by lead-thirst}^ fibres ? 

Hardly ! The oil will be absorbed, the oil will be 
drank up by oil-thirsty fibres ; and the oil will feed 
and nourish every part, reaching even to the core. 
The case with the lead is somewhat different : the 
powdered particles of the lead are afloat in the oil of 
course, and must needs go with it wherever they 
can. The wood sucks the oil towards its centre, and 
thus the lead is sucked into its pores, and into the 
slits and hollows of its grain, but it does not go be- 
yond. The fibrous wall within the pores, it cannot 
penetrate. It can only pack its particles against it, 
and there drain dry^ if the wood have thirst enough 
to drink the oil away from it. 

Our lead drained dry becomes a brittle crust, and 
wear and weather will soon make plain this fact. 

Will some good friend reply to this, to contend 
that lead priming has endured for years ? Admit- 
ted. So it has, and may yet be made to. Given 
the purest lead, the purest oil, perfectly seasoned 
wood, and time^ (much time) and oily costings, and 
lead will cling a good long while. But who can 
spare the necessary time for this result in these 
impatient days? Who will forswear Japans and 
driers, and spend two months or more in simply 
leading? 



12 

LEAD WORKING UNHEALTHY. 

The unwholesomeness of lead is such a patent 
fact that we have little need here to mention it. Its 
disagreeable, not to say dangerous effect on health, 
is fully understood. Had the old surfacing system 
no other bad point than this, not a few would think 
thi€ point alone sufficient to condemn it. 

We venture to believe that the single fact, that 
our newer system, herein to be described, imme- 
diately emancipates the painter who adopts it from 
all further use of lead in surfacing, will enlist for it 
the earnest consideration of the craft. 

SLOWNESS OF THE LEAD AND OIL PROCESS. 

What carriage builder or carriage painter of ex- 
perience, and wanting a durable job, would give a 
lead and oil priming coat less than five days to diy, 
or would use less than three coats of lead ? Here 
are nine days, we will say then, to be given to 
leading. 

In some shops it is yet the custom to give eight 
to ten days drving time to a lead and oil priming, 
and to follow this with three coats of lead, each coat 
allowed several daj^s to dry. And then comes on the 
roughstuff — four coats — and each of these several 
days, and three days or perhaps a week for putty 
drying. How is this for ''quickness and dispatch?"' 
Twenty days for leading, and quite six weeks in 
working up a surface. 



13 

Supposing, now, that with a different surfacing 
niaterial than lead and oil, with fewer coats, and 
much less labor, a far superior surface could be had 
in less than a week's time, ought not the lead and 
oil be laid aside? 



ATTEMPTS AT HURKYING LEAD AND OIL, AND THE 
TROUBLES SUCH ATTEMPTS ENTAIL. 

All sorts of experiments for hastening the lead 
^nd oil process, and for shortening the time required 
for oil to dry, have been attempted, but never yet 
without imperiling the durabilit}^ of the work. As 
jou shorten the drying, you limit the wear, at the 
same time endangering safety and success. Indeed 
swiftness is not coinpatihle with safety in a lead and 
oil process, and the nearer you approach the one, 
the farther do j^ou get from the other. So thor- 
pughl}- is this fact grounded in the experience of 
painters everywhere, and so univei^sally is its truth 
estabhshed, that to speak to a painter of a quickly- 
finished job, is to invite him to regard it as "scab- 
by " and short-lived. 

And just here, permit us to remark, there exists, 
what is at once our most formidable obstacle, and 
also our chiefest assistance to the introduction of a 
substitute for lead and oil in carriage painting. The 
carriage painter, educated and trained to suppose 
that lead only can be used, is practicall}^ unable to 
believe that anything else is suitable. 



14 

It is an axiom in science that no two atoms or 
forces can occupy the same place at the same instant. 
One absolutely must vacate before the other can occu- 
py. Equally true, too, is this fact, in mental as well 
as in physical science. Hence, so long as a painter's 
mind is filled full with the notion that lead and oil 
alone are fit for carriage work, a favorable opinion 
of any other surfacing material cannot enter his mind. 
Such a painter will declare that "if lead and oil 
cannot produce a safe surface quickly and safely^ 
nothing else can." 

This is our "wall of Jericho." 

But observe. This same painter's every day's ex- 
perience with lead and oil, if he be observant and 
thoughtful, only serves to emphasize to him the fact 
that they canno*^ produce a safe and lasting surface 
quickly^ and sets him to wishing that there might be 
something better suited to the purpose. 

And here is the trumpet that in time will cause 
our " wall of Jericho" to tumble. 

Our carriage painters have need to be reminded 
that they should not judge of everything from a 
lead and oil stand point. Because lead and oil, when 
quickly hardened, will cleave off, crack, and chip 
in pieces, must it inexorably follow that all other 
quick-hardening surface material will? Suppose 
we can introduce something of an India-rubber like 
character for a surfacing material, something pos- 
sessing toughness, and a tenacious element which 
will be lasting. Must this material be estimated on 



15 

by the results attending the use of a dry metallic 
powder, having no tenacity whatever of its own, 
and possessing no inherent affinity for either the 
oil it is combined with or for the wood to which 
the oil unites it? A glutinous oil has a quick aflSn- 
ity for a dry lead powder, but we can conceive of 
no particular affinity in a dry lead powder for any- 
thing, unless it be for a painter's digestive appara- 
tus into which it can carry colic. 

Certain is it that lead has no such affinity for 
wood as pitch, for instance, possesses, and it will 
only cleave to wood so long as it retains the gluten of 
oil. Our surfacing material, on the other hand, 
possesses inherently a pitch-like affinity for wood, 
and speedily becomes incorporated into it. A car- 
riage painted according to our system will never 
need to be re-primed ; mark that ! 

JAPANS AND QUICK DRIERS. 

The basis of any and every attempt to accelerate 
the drying of a coat of lead and oil must of neces- 
sity be that of an artificial hardener, universally 
dubbed Japan. 

Japan ! What is it? Who, on seeing a sample, 
can tell of what it is composed? Doubtless many 
can tell us of what it ought to be composed, but 
who will venture to insure its being what they 
think it ought to be ? Japan (as very commonly 
used) is anything ! It is everything, (except what 
2 



16 

we want it to be !) It is a mystery ! It is an 
uncertainty ! Over the (impatient) efforts of most 
carriage painters, it is a mastery ! There are, of 
course, superior Japans, and there are driers which, 
when understood and used with nice discrimination, 
are measurably safe, and suitable to use, and yet a 
^' drop too much" of even these best brands may 
ruin a fine job. But the average Japan, who shall 
rely on it ? Its vagaries are legion ! Uniformity 
in it is hopelessly unattainable, unless it be a uni- 
form certainty to cause cracking and chipping. 

The philosophy of hardening an oil}^ paste by 
the introduction thereto of crispy, flinty particles, 
is fundamentally unsound, and yet this hazardous 
path of "Japan" is the only race track available 
for "speeding" the lead and oil process. 

By our new system, the use of Japan is wholly 
dispensed with. The drying properties of the new 
surfacing material are organic, and " to the manner 
born." No artificial drier is called for. Hence all 
the ills and evils that Japan is heir to are at once 
avoided. The material hardens naturally, and with 
all sufficient rapidity, on exposure, m a thin coat- 
ing, to the air. 

LABORIOUSNESS OF THE LEAD AND OIL METHOD. 

The great amount of labor necessary in the lead and 
oil method as compared to the small amount of work 
required in the newer method herein advocated, will 
be noticeable to all. 



17 

In the mechanic arts, it is the labor that costs, and 
this fact is conspicuously true in carriage painting. 
The cost of labor, as compared to the cost of paint 
stock, is in no case less than three to one, and in 
many cases this disproportion is doubled. For 'this 
reason, if by a new system of painting we are able 
to reduce the amount of labor one-third, such a sys- 
tem will be the cheaper one, even should the mater- 
ial of the new system cost double that of the old, 
which, however, it does not. 

EXAMPLE. 

Suppose, for instance, that the cost of a job, old 
system, was $2.50 for stock, and $10 for labor, mak- 
ing a total of $12.50. 

Now if by the new system the cost of the labor 
was reduced one-third, viz : to $6.67, the cost of the 
stock could be increased to double what it was, viz : 
from $2.50 to $5.00, and yet the nev^ process would 
be cheapest, as this total would be only $11.67. 

Example : 

OLD SYSTEM. 

Labor $10 00 

Stock 2 50 

$12 50 

NEW SYSTEM. 

Labor, (reduced one-third) $6 67 

Stock, (increased double) 5 00 

11 67 

Difference in favor of the new system. . So 



18 

If now a comparison of the amount of time re- 
quired by each of the different systems was consid- 
ered, the advantage of the newer method would be 
still more apparent. 

It is by no means intended that the cost of the 
new material shall be double that of the stock used 
in the old system, hence the above example is given 
simply as a means of contrasting the two. 

SEYEK TO TEN COATINGS. 

Seldom less than seven coats — three coats of lead, 
and four of roughstuff — are employed in getting a 
surface by the old process, and not unfrequently 
ten coatings are put on. The English carriage 
painters make use of about ten coats, and in France 
the number is not less. 

Now there is no getting away from the fact, that to 
thoroughly paint over a carriage body so many sepa- 
rate ttmeSj involves a considerable amount of work. 
It is hand-work, too, and is therefore expensive work. 
But there would be no special objection to either 
the work or its cost, however, if the labor fully ac- 
complished its aim, the which on very good author- 
ity, it does not. The grain of the wood, though 
plastered over with ten separate coatings, is often 
distinctly discernible within a few months after the 
vehicle is put to wear. 

Yerily this looks not altogether unlike defeat for 
the ten -coat process. 



19 

Now if lead and oil really operated to bind together 
and seal up the grain of the wood as it has been con- 
sidered capable of doing, why should we be able to 
see the grain through ten or more coats, including 
color and varnishes ? 

Are we not here brought directly face to face 
again with the fact that lead and oil are inefficient 
surf acers ? 

Please bear in mind that with our improved surfac- 
ing material, the modus operandi of which involves six 
coatings only^ on finest jobs, and all six of which may 
be safely applied and completed in eight consecutive 
days, we can produce a surface, which for tenacity, 
toughness, ivory-like finish, and durability, is un- 
equaled. It is a surface which will never have to 
be renewed, and through which the grain of the 
wood will never indicate itself. 

THE MANY DETAILS OF THE LEAD AND OIL PROCESS. 

The routine of duties, and riddlesome receipts at- 
taching to the lead and oil process, are in striking 
contrast with the simplicit}' of our newer method. 
The many mixings and many proportionings neces- 
sary to start and complete a new job through the 
priming, leveling, and coloring coats are puzzling, to 
say the least. 

Almost as many methods of proportioning, too, as 
there are paint shops ; is it any wonder that there is a 
diversity and uncertainty in results ? Is it at all sur- 



20 

prising that essays are written on ^' The Deviltries 
of Paint and Varnish "? So formidable indeed is this 
feature of formulas that to a great extent guessing 
at proportions has substituted itself in the place of 
accurate measurement, and a ^''little " of this, and a 
''^little^^ of that, to ^^ some'''' of the other, is the prac- 
tice in compounding coatings which call for scrupu- 
lous fidelity to rule. 

Doubtless the inequalities of paint stock, of lead, 
of oil, of Japan, have led to this inattention to fixed 
formulas, and perhaps it is not strange that a painter 
after repeatedly trying carefully proportioned mix- 
tures with no better result than to behold his most 
painstaking measurements set at naught by adulter- 
ated lead, impure oil, or a brittle Japan, should decide 
that fixed rules were of no particular advantage. 
But what is this but another argument against the 
continuance of a system which involves so many 
chances of ill luck? The fact is, our carriage 
painters should no longer find it necessary to make 
so many mixings. Why ought a painter to person- 
ally produce his working materials any more than a 
carriage trimmer should personally work up from 
the raw material, his cloth and patent leather? It 
seems to us that the painting art is considerably be- 
hind other trades in freeing itself from its drudgeries. 
It has pretty much relinquished its paint and color 
grinding by hand, its oil boiling, Japan making, and 
varnish making, but still holds on to its mixing, 
mixing, mixing. 



21 

If the painter can trust to buy ready-ground lead^,. 
and chance his oil, and stake results on average Japan, 
would he run any greater risk by making use of 
readj'-mixed surfacers, needing no personal manipu- 
lation by himself whatever? Would he not rather 
reduce his risk as well as reduce his care and labor? 
Our new system of surfacing comprehends an im- 
portant reform, in that it designs to supply to the 
craft a series of surfacing mixtures, each mixture 
perfect in itself, and ready for use without any addi- 
tions to it whatever hj the painters. 

A SURFACE 

What is a true surface, an enduring surface, as 
understood by the carriage painter? 

Is it the exterior portion of wood and iron filled 
into^ sealed up, hardened, leveled and brought to a 
glass-like smoothness ? or is it a crust or shell created 
upon such exterior portion of wood or iron ? 

Ice is said to form upon the surface of water, but 
the ice is never called the water, nor is it properly 
the surface of the water. It is simply a crust upou 
the water. It is a strong crust at times, and is 
smooth, comj)act and solid, and seemingly secure 
enough to last for ever ; but it is, after all, only a 
crust, and its days are numbered. Something like 
this, it seems to us, is a so-called "surface'' of lead 
and oil, and roughtsuff, on a carriage body. 

The surface is not the wood, but a shell-like crust 



22 

upon the wood, and it only adheres to the wood, so 
long as its composition is able to retain a sufficient 
quantity of oil (unwithdrawn from it by absorption 
into the wood) to give it the requisite adhesiveness 
and semi-elasticity to withstand the separating influ- 
ences of wear and weather. If ever, therefore, and 
whenever, this balance of retention by the lead, is 
overcome by absorption by the wood, does not this 
surface become a very brittle one and liable to cleave 
off, crack and chip ? 

That there is a disintegrating influence at work on 
the inside of a coat of lead and oil, as well as de- 
stroying influences outside of it, must not be lost 
sight of. The interior dry and thirsty fibres of a 
well-seasoned piece of wood will most certainly ex- 
ert their utmost power of absorption to rob the lead 
of its oil ; and atom by atom they will get it too, 
and will finally win the fight. Like "Barkis," too, 
the oil " is willin','' for it loves the wood better than 
it loves the lead, and is only too glad of a chance 
to go. 

GRAIN SHGWI^'G. 

Now^ to our mind, this unsatisfied, unattended to, 
unprovided against thirstiness of these interior fibres, 
offers a ready solution of that otherwise mysterious 
problem, grain showing ; (grain showing, by the way, 
is a thing unknown and impossible in the New 
System). What painter has not many times been 
greatly surprised to find that a carriage body, on 



23 

which he expended extra care, and the surface on 
which, when the vehicle went out from his shop, 
was as smooth and solid as glass, has, in two or 
three months, come to exhibit a very bad case of 
grain showing ? And what is the explanation of it? 
Why simply that the absorbing force of the interior 
fibres has wrought the change. It has gradually re- 
moved the oil which at first filled up the exterior 
cells of the wood, drawing it inward, and at the 
same time has given an opportunity for the lead coat 
which is yet in a degree elastic, to yield to the in- 
ward movement and pack itself into the grain in such 
a way as to produce a delineation of the superficies 
of the grain, on its own outer self. Is any better 
evidence than this wanted, as a proof that wood is 
bound sooner or later to be master in the lead and 
oil process of surfacing? Had now the material 
used for obtaining a surface been of a character to 
seal up the grain cells, and to solidif}' within them, 
to the extent of being iinresponsire to the attractions 
of the interior fibres ; (and instead of allowing it- 
self to be "taken in" like the fickle oil, which by 
deserting its first love, the lead, for a harem of fibres, 
very soon became of no account,) had been of a 
disposition to give a "cold shoulder" to all their 
"winning ways," would the grain ever have been 
seen? If you are a smoker, please puff that over 
a while. 



A BETTER WAY. 



THE LEAD AND OIL PROCESSES IMPROVED ON. 

UNIFORMITY SUBSTITUTED FOR INGENUITY. 

A SYSTEM THAT SYSTEMATIZES. 



THE 

A, B, C SYSTEM 



OF 



CAB AND CAREIAGE SOEFACEBS. 

NON-FLAKING, NON-ORACKING. 



SIMPLE, 

SAFE, CERTAIN, 

SWIFT. 



NO LEAD I NO OIL I NO JAPAN I NO COMPOUNDING 1 



26 



DESCRIPTION. 



The theory and principles underlying and form- 
ing the ground work of the A, B, C System of 
Car and Carriage Surfacers, are : 

First. — {Non- Cracking,) — Penetrativeness, Tenac 
ity, Elasticity. 

Second. — {Non-Flaking. ) — Coherency, Tough 
uess, Solidity. 

Third. — [Money- Saving.) — Simplicity, Quickness, 
Economy. 

COMPOSITION OF THE SURFACERS. 

The composition of the A, B, C Surfacers, being 
a result of extended experiment, and protracted 
study, is necessarily a private and proprietary mat- 
ter, but its characteristics will be made sufficiently 
apparent to enable every intelligent craftsman to 
form an estimate of its adaptation to the work. 

ARRANGEMENT. 

It is a system made up of four separate surfacing . 
mixtures, each surfacer (mixture) complete and per- 



27 

feet in itself, and ready for the brush as it comes 
from the can. 

Its arrangement is as follows, viz : 

First. Surfacer A — Priming coat. 
Second. Surfacer B — Loading coat. 
Third. Surfacer C — Leveling coat. 
Fourth. Surfacer D — Sealing coat. 

These four Surfacers — the first designed to prime 
the wood and to permeate its fibres ; the second 
designed to load the pores of the grain ; the third 
designed to level the surface; and the fourth to 
seal it over, constitute a course of kindred coatings 
which combine to produce a surface that for smooth- 
ness, solidity, and wearing quality is unsurpassed. 

SUEFACEE A. 

This Surfacer is applied directly to the wood 
into which it penetrates and which it permanently 
preserves. Its permeating power is remarkable, and 
being of a glutinous nature, and semi-cement-like it, 
after filling the fibres, solidly concretes, thereby 
nourishing, toughening, and welding them together, 
and making them as water-proof as India rubber. 

The striking peculiarity of this first Surfacer as 
contrasted to a priming of lead and oil, is that it be- 
comes a fixture. When once dry it is unsusceptible 
of further absorption by the wood. 



28 

It is unremovable from the jfibres and cells into 
vv^hich it has intrenched itself, and there are no forces 
either within the wood or outside of it able to sepa- 
rate its constituent parts, or cause it to cleave off, 
crack, flake, or peel. A piece of wood coated with 
Surfacer A, and given twenty -four hours to dry, may 
be soaked in cold water for weeks, or boiled in hot 
water for hours, without perceptible effect. 

Time: Surfacer A requires forty-eight hours only 
to dry, and one coat only should be used. Add noth- 
ing to it ; it needs neither oil, Japan, or spirits of 
turpentine, and herein is a guarantee of uniformity. 
In the lead and oil system uniformity is well nigh 
impossible. A little oil, a little Japan, or a little 
spirits of turpentine, is the customary directions of 
foreman to workman, and be the quantity what it 
may, a spoonfull, or a cupfull, it is "a little'' every 
time ; guessing takes the place of measuring, and 
uniformity is lost. Our system is uniformity itself, 
•and uniform results may therefore be safely counted 
on. 

Method of applying : No specially superior skill 
is called for in the laying on of either Surfacer. 
Apply them with ordinary brushes, separate brushes 
for each Surfacer, of course, and lay it precisely as 
you would lay varnish. 

SURFACEE B. 

The composition of Surfacer B, is to all intents 
-and purposes identical with that of Surfacer A, over 



29 

which it is to be laid ; except that, it jjossesses addi- 
tions adapting it to its place in the system, and which 
make its nature somewhat more cement-like. 

Its office is to more thoroughly load the pores and 
cells of the grain, and its being akin to Surfacer A^ 
enables it to unite itself solidly and inseparably to it. 

Surfacer B dries in thirty-six hours. 

SUEFACEE C. 

Surfacer C follows puttying-up. It is closely re- 
lated in its composition to Surfacer B, over which 
it is to be laid. Its office is that of leveler. Havincr 
primed with A, loaded with B, and "puttied-up," we 
DOW level with Surfacer C. 

Three coats are suggested for best Coach Body 
work, and they can be repeated every twelve hours. 
For ordinary jobs, and where a specially fine surface 
is not demanded, a single coat of Surfacer C will be 
found quite sufficient. 

Surfacer will dry in twelve hours, and when 
dry^ may be scoured down with block pumice. 

SCOURING. 

The scouring process in this system is necessarily 
very mnch the same as in the old system, yet owing 
to fewer coats, it should be attended with much less 
labor. Care is always called for in scouring, and 
its absence is by no means recommended here. 



30 

Indeed, we would favor the most conscientious 
painstaking from this point forward, and we 
would never entrust the scouring or rubbing- 
down of a fine job to an incompetent or careless 
workman. 

The A, B, C System of surfacing proposes to 
leave little or no accumulation of material upon 
the Y70od, but to obtain its surface practically in 
the wood, and of the wood, and hence the scour- 
ing down becomes an important feature in its pro- 
cesses. It need be no more difficult than any other 
scouring, but should be pursued with close atten- 
tion, and with painstaking care. 

Surfacer C is, of course, likely to be wholly re- 
moved by the pumice block ; but unless the job be 
a particularly rough one, Surfacer B will hardly be 
taken down so close as to leave Surfacer A uncov- 
ered. No danger need be apprehended, however, 
even though Surfacer A be touched, as the grain 
will not rise unless the scouring is carried entirely 
through Surfacer A, and into the wood itself — a 
blunder not likely to be made. After block-pum- 
icing the job, smooth it off with fine sand-paper. 
In block-pumicing, a heavy pressure is not to be 
approved of. A slight pressure is, of course, indis- 
pensible; but in no stage of the surfacing process, 
does the importance of the old maxim ''make haste 
slowly," appeal more strongly for recognition than 
while the pumice-block holds sway. 



31 
SUKFACEE D. 

After having scoured and sand-papered Surfacer 
C, apply a single coat of Surfacer D, the office of 
which is to seal the work. 

Analagously to our having described the preced- 
ing Surfacers A, B, and C, as respectively priming, 
loading, and leveling coats, we are disposed to en- 
title Surfacer D the discharge coat, and for the rea- 
son that on the application of and mossing off of 
this Surfacer .when dry, the work of surfacing proper 
will have been completed and discharged^ the job 
being now ready for the color. 

Surfacer D should be given thirty-six hours in 
which to dry, after which it should be lightly gone 
over with fine sand-paper. 

THE SUEFACING COMPLETED. 

The work of surfacing, properly speaking, starts 
with a job in the wood, and brings it to a condition 
of readiness for coloring. This point reached, the 
work of surfacing is practically at an end. Hence 
did the A, B, C System of Car and Carriage sur- 
facing have in view the separate and special work 
of surfacing, and of surfacing only, we have now 
reached a point at which we might properly make 
our bow, and step down and out. But the A, B, C 
System comprehends more than simply preparing a 
surface. It proposes to take care of its surface after 
having produced it. 
3 



32 



COLOR AND COLORING. 



It is not within the province of the A, B, C Sys- 
tem of Surfacers to supply the painter with Colors, 
nor, indeed, is there any need for it to do so. His 
w^ants in this direction are ah^eady abundantly met, 
and we think we may safely say, are as fully and 
sufficiently provided for as we can conceive it possi- 
ble for them to be. 

That the several prominent color manufacturers 
of America are keenly alive to the wants of the 
carriage painter, as well as conscientiously painstak- 
ing in their endeavors to satisfy the same, is abund- 
antly proven by the high degree of perfection pos- 
sessed by their products. We are, however, by no 
means ignorant of the fact that notwithstanding the 
high character of the colors above alluded to, our 
carriage painters still find the use of colors attended 
by many perplexing, and not nnfrequently, by most 
unsatisfactory results; but to our mind, these acci- 
dents may less rightfully be charged up against the 
colors, than to what the painter puts into the colors 
while making them ready for use. Inferior Japans, 
not always to be detected by price or appearance, 
impure oil and ^'benzinated " turpentine, are not 



33 

wholly ^'without sin" in this connection. Could 
the painter nnerringly ''steer clear" of these, his 
color troubles would be fewer and further between. 

With a view to assisting him in doing this, the 
A, B, C System supplies to the painter a new and 
most invaluable compound to be known as " CoL- 
ORONE," or Color Insurer, a substitute for Oil, Japan 
and Yarnish in Color mixing, and by the use of 
which, "peeling off," "cracking" and "chipping" 
are rendered impossible. (See page 34.) 

We will offer a single suggestion in relation to 
the coloring of a finely-surfaced job, and which 
suggestion we trust will not be thought wholly un- 
called for, viz : That a superior surface may be 
very easily spoiled by a too heavy coat of color. A 
coat of color, from which the brush marks will not 
wholly flow out, will put to nought much if not all 
the painstaking care expended in getting the sur- 
face. ■ Xo amount of rubbing varnish, nor any 
'degree of persistency in rubbing down the rubbing 
varnish, will make amends for mistakes made in 
coloring. Thin coats, therefore, and more of them. 
and each coat carefully "layed off/' is the policy 
we would commend. 



34 

THE A, B, C SYSTEM 

COLORON^E, 

OR 

COLOR INSURER, 

A Sistitnte for Oil, Japaa and Varnisli in miiing colors. 

Colorone insures easy flowing. 
Colorone insures firm fastening. 
Colorone insures non-chipping. 



I>II«,E0TI03SrS- 



Dry Colors. 



Colors already 



'' Add Colorone in quantity suf- 
ficient to make a thick paste, 
then thin for use with spirits 
turpentine. 

To color thinned with turpen- 
tine ready for use, add Col- 
, orone in the proportion of a 
(tROUND. I gill ^i Colorone to a pint of 

[ thin color. 



We can guarantee success for every color (pure 
color) into which Colorone is put. We cannot 
guarantee any A, B, C System job from which Col- 
orone is left out. Painters will find Colorone a 
truly wonderful compound for color mixing, and 
having once used it, will use it ever after. 



35 



A, B, C SYSTEM PRICE LIST. 



SURFACE R S . 

Surfacer A — Primer per gall., $4 50 

Surfacer B— Loader " 4 50 

Surfacer C— Leveler " 4 00 

Surfacer D— Sealer " 4 50 

COLOR INSURER. 

Colorone — for fastening colors per gall., $4 50 

COLOR AND VARNISH. 
Murphy's Black Rubbing Yarnish per gall., $4 00 

RUBBING VARNISHES, 

Murphy's Rubbing Body Yarnish per gall., |4 00 

Murphy's Quick Rubbing Yarnish " 4 00 

FINISHING VARNISHES- 

Murphy's Palest Durable Body Yarnish per gall., $6 00 

Murphy's Pale Durable Carriage Yarnish ... " 5 00 

Murphy's Hard-Drying Carriage Yarnish ... " 4 50 

A, B, C SYSTEM MIXING CANS. 

(Patent applied for.) 

Holding 5, 24, and ^ gallons each, furnished at cost of 
manufacture. 



36 



COMPARATIVE TIME SCHEDULE. 



OLD SYSTEM. 

SURFACING ONLY. 



Body — average job. 

Priming and leading, 8 coats, - - 9 days 

Putty, 2 " 

Eoughstuff, 4 coats, - - - - 10 " 

Total, - - - - - 21 days 

Gear — average job. 

Priming and leading, 3 coats, - - 8 days 

Putty, - - - - - - 2 " 

10 days 



37 



COMPARATIVE TIME SCHEDULE. 



-^s^#o^- 



ISTEAV^ SYSTEM 

SURFACING ONLY. 



Body — best job. 

Surfacer A, one coat, .... 2 days, 

Surfacer B, one coat, - - - - 1|- " 

Putty, - - li " 

Surfacer C, three coats, 12 hours each, - 1-J- ^■ 

Surfacer D, one coat, - - - - li " 



Total, - - - - - - 8 days. 

GrEAR — best job. 

Surfacer A, one coat, - ... 2 days. 

Putty, li '^ 

Surfacer B, one coat, - - • - 1-J- ^V 

Surfacer D, one coat, • - - - 1|- '' 



Total, 6* days. 



38 



IMPROVED COLOR AND VARNISH. 



MUHPET'S A, B, C SYSTEM 

BLACK RUBBING- VARNISH 

A Specialty in the A, B, C System of Car and Carriage Surfacers. 

The Murphy Black Eubbicg is admitted to be the 
best color and varnish available to the trade. As its 
name implies, it is a regularly constituted rubbing var- 
niifh^ and not a color and varnish only. It supplies 
•every requirement of the ordinary color and varnish, 
and more. Color and varnish, as mixed up by the 
^carriage painter, for the use of a glossy color simply, 
is by no means identical with our Black Eubbing 
Varnish. 

The difference between these two may, perhaps, be 
as clearly shown by referring to the former as color 
with varnish in it, and to the latter as varnish with 
color in it And yet our varnish with color in It, 
ground into it, js a better " color with varnish in it,'' 
than can be mixed up by hand. Its covering qual- 
ity, free working character, and reliable rubbing 
properties, cannot be surpassed, if indeed they can 
be equaled. 



39 



IMPROVED SURFACING VARNISHES. 



MURPHY'S A, B, G SYSTEM 

RUBBING BODY VARNISH. 

A Specialty in the A, B, C System of Car and Carriage Surfacers. 

The degree of importance attaching to Eubbing 
Varnish in the business of successfully surfacing a 
carriage, ranks second only to that of the primer. 
The Rubbing Varnish is not only responsible for 
itself, but to a great degree is it responsible for 
the '• holding out " of the finishing varnish which 
covers it. 

Of all the varnishes used by the coach painter an 
entirely satisfactory^ rubbing varnish is by far the 
most difficult to supply. It should be of good body 
and yet must work freely ; it must harden quite 
glass-like, and yet must not "chip;" it must hold 
quite elastic, and yet must not "sweat;" it must 
^itstain^ not absorb the finishing coat. 

That the Murphy Eubbing Varnishes are admit- 
ted to stand foremost, among all rubbing varnishes, 
either domestic or foreign, and for the possession of 
all the qualities going to make up a perfect rubbing 
varnish, is a fact which we believe is now conceded. 



40 



IMPROVED RUBBING- VARNISH. 



MUBPHT'S A, B, SYSTEM 

QUICK RUBBING VARNISH 

A Specialty in the A, B, C System of Car and Carriage Surfacers- 

In these days of haste and hurry, a Quick Rub- 
bing Varnish is an absolute necessity. It is a thing- 
that must be had and cannot be done without. Re- 
pair work and re-painted jobs demand it. Slower 
drying surfacing varnish cannot in all cases be- 
waited for. To meet this urgent requirement, we 
have brought to bear our best experience in the art 
of varnish making. We can recommend our pres- 
ent Quick Rubbing as being as nearly perfect as it 
is possible for a quick, hardening varnish to be. It 
will dry hard in from twenty-four to thirty-six 
hours, and will rub without sweating. We have 
given especial attention, too, to the matter of its 
elasticity, whereby cracking and chipping are guard- 
ed against. It should be used over our Black Rub- 
bing Varnish. 



41 



Perfected One Coat Tarnish for Carriage Parts. 



MURPHY'S A, B, G SYSTEM 

HARD-DRYING CARRIAGE VARNISH 



A Specialty in the A, B, C System of Car and Carriage Surfacers 

Our Hard-Drvino' Carriao;e Varnish lias so lonp;' 
and so prominently enjoyed the confidence of a 
widely extended patronage, that we shall hardly 
need to describe it here. It is our highest priced, 
and is therefore our highest quality one-coat car- 
riage part finishing varnish. And whether used 
over dead color, or color and varnish, we may safely 
guarantee its giving entire satisfaction. 

The demand for a thoroughly reliable and uni- 
form one-coat varnish was never greater than at 
present. Our Hard-Drying Carriage in body, dry- 
ing, and all the requirements which a varnish of 
this nature should possess, will be found superior 
to any other varnish of its class. 



42 



PEBFEOTED FINISHING OAERIAGE PAET VARNISH. 



MUBPHY'8 A, B, SYSTEM 

PALE DURABLE CARRIAGE VARNISH. 



A Specialty in the A, B, C System of Car and Carriage Surfacers 

The similarity in the names of our two leading 
varnishes — our Pale Durable Carriage aod our Palest 
Durable Body — implies, as it is intended to do, a 
very close similarity in their general characteristics. 
In all the qualities which go to make up a perfect 
finishing varnish, they are alike, each, however, 
being especially adapted to the uses for which it is 
intended, the one for carriage parts of best work, 
and the others for bodies. Our Pale Durable Car- 
riage Varnish hardens more thoroughly than our 
body, but in its working properties and its brilliancy 
is fully the equal of that superior varnish. For the 
place and purpose for which this varnish is designed, 
it is all that any painter can desire. 



48 



PERFECTED FINISHING VARNISH. 



MURPHY'S A, B, G SYSTEM 

PALEST DURABLE BODY VARNISH. 

A Specialty in theJA, B, C System of Car and Carriage Surfacers. 

The qualities and properties necessary to be looked 
for in an altogether perfect finishing varnish adapted 
to the finest coach body work, are known to every 
carriage painter ; but the difficulties to be encoun- 
tered in the production of a body finishing varnish, 
one embodying every quality and every property 
that can be demanded by the many painters, in 
many places, and under many temperatures, or con- 
ditions or situations, is known to the varnish mak- 
ers only. The carriage painter knows one side, 
but the varnish maker knows both sides. He is 
supplied gratis with the opinions of every individ- 
ual to whom his goods are sent, who is able to 
discover the slightest defect (real or imaginary) in 
his varnish, and not unfrequently the complaint is 
emphasized by the return of the goods ; and so, in 
addition to the aid afforded him (and assuredly it is 



44 

an aid and a help) by the pointing ont a fault or 
supposed fault in his goods, he is able to test the 
judgment of the complainant and the quality of the 
varnish objected to, at one and the same time. He 
can, by practical tests of the varnish complained of, 
and sent back to him (these tests to be made by 
his varnish tester, an expert at carriage painting), 
attempt to discover for himself the fault complained 
of, and if he find it to really exist, he can take 
steps to correct the same as to future goods. 

It will not, however, be supposed that an educa- 
tion of this nature, and acquired by such means, 
is either an easy one or a speedy one to obtain. 
Prom the multitudinous experiences, which in a 
long drawn-out procession have appeared and re- 
appeared to us during manj^ successive years, we 
have derived a knowledge of the wants and neces- 
sities of the trade sufficient to render us fully aware 
of what is needed in a finishino; bodv varnish. 

As a result of this experience, we offer our Palest 
Durable Body Yarnish, not as an imitation of any 
other varnish, domestic or foreign, but as superior 
to any other yet known to the trade. In its color, 
its working properties, its fullness, its drying and 
hardening, and most important of all, in its durabil- 
ity, it will be found to give complete and entire sat- 
isfaction, and we feel confident that when its quali- 
ties are fully known, it will be a more popular 
varnish than any heretofore manufactured. 



45 



MURPHY^S 

IMPBOVED 

A, B, C SYSTEM VARNISHES 



COLOR AND VARNISH. 
A^ B, C System Black Rubbing' Tarnish. 

Price, Four Dollars per Gallon. 



RUBBING VARNISHES, 

A, B, C System Rubbing Body Tarnish. 

Price, Four Dollars per Gallon. 

A, B, C System (^uiek Rubbing Tarnish. 

Price, Four Dollars per Gallon. 



FINISHING VARNISHES. 

A, B, C System Hard-Drying Carriage Tarnish. 

Price, Four Dollars and a half per Gallon. 

A, B, C System Pale Durable Carriage Tarnish, 

Price, Five Dollars per Gallon. 

A, B, C System Palest Durable Body Tarnish. 

Price, Six Dollars per Gallon. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS r 



II 

021 470 372 j , 



